As the relay hunger strike by two suspended professors of the University of Hyderabad entered the fourth day on Friday, Radhika, the mother of the research scholar Rohit Vemula also took part in the relay hunger strike.

The varsity said the onus was on them to defend themselves by responding to show-cause notices.

"They have to first respond to the memo/show-cause notice.

They have to make an appeal rather than others submitting memorandums on their behalf, then only the administration can consider and the review committee will look into it," the Pro Vice-Chancellor-1 and varsity spokesperson Prof Vipin Srivastava told PTI.

A group of teachers today submitted a memorandum to the registrar and sought revocation of the suspension. They also met Vice Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile.

Earlier in the day, the SC/ST Teachers Forum held a demonstration in front of the varsity's administrative office demanding immediate revocation of suspension and withdrawal of cases against the two teachers and the students in connection with the March 22 incidents (when there was a violent protest by students outside the VC's official residence).

The administration suspended associate professor K Y Ratnam and assistant professor Tathagat Sengupta on the ground that they had been arrested by the police (along with 20 students) for more than 48 hours following the March 22 protest, but they failed to inform this to the varsity, which is mandatory.

Radhika, the mother of the research scholar Rohit Vemula (whose suicide on January 17 triggered the students' protests) also took part in the relay hunger strike today.

Ratnam, Head of the Centre for Ambedkar Studies and faculty member of Department of Political Science, and Sengupta, a faculty member of Department of Mathematics, are on relay hunger strike against their suspension since June 14.